Books of the Month

'The Legend of Liz and Joe' by John Murray

It's 2008 and despite his fantastic cooking, old Joe Gladstone’s gourmet guesthouse in rural north Cumbria is losing a packet. This could have something to do with the rather stringent requirements he puts upon his would-be guests. They don't have to ask nicely to come and stay and sample his food. They don't even have to write and ask nicely. They have to write an essay and prove themselves sufficiently interesting and therefore worthy people. Joe's wife Liz, meanwhile, is all over the place. She's recently embarked on her first extramarital affair at the age of seventy, been discovered, and started having spiritual visions into the bargain. While struggling to deal with her infidelity, Joe works on his entry to a local dialect story competition, which if he wins, will rescue his ailing financial situation. True to form his effort is no run of the mill tale of yore, but a political epic set in the near future, where a ridiculous nanny state is using Cumbria as the pilot for a scheme which links degenerate behaviour to the wearing of... belts.

Many of the ingredients of Murray's writing are here in this new book: satire, farce, a Cumbrian setting, dialect, an infectious gusto for life. As usual its dense, clever, and full of ideas. But The Legend of Liz and Joe explores the possibility of older characters taking the spotlight and being much more than the usual stereotypes. There's a genuine warmth about the book which is more than simple humour or sympathy. And there are also some great vegetarian recipes.

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